Synonyms of learning

learning 1 of 2

noun

ˈlər-niŋ 

as in education

the understanding and information gained from being educated

the learning that you get from books is just as important as the experience you get from life

Synonyms & Similar Words

• education
• knowledge
• literacy
• scholarship
• erudition
• culture
• learnedness
• enlightenment
• reading
• edification
• pedantry
• bookishness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignorance
• illiteracy
• functional illiteracy
• illiterateness

learning

2 of 2

verb

present participle of learn

1

as in mastering

to acquire complete knowledge, understanding, or skill in

after months of trying, he finally learned the dance steps

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mastering
• getting
• understanding
• knowing
• discovering
• seeing
• studying
• hearing
• picking up
• grasping
• comprehending
• examining
• getting the hang of
• assimilating
• absorbing
• apprehending
• digesting
• determining
• detecting
• memorizing
• ascertaining
• tracking (down)
• drinking (in)
• imbibing
• hitting (on or upon)
• searching (for)
• finding out
• discerning
• running down
• tumbling (to)
• digging up
• unearthing
• descrying
• majoring (in)
• scaring up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• forgetting
• unlearning
• missing
• ignoring
• overlooking
• misunderstanding
• neglecting
• disregarding

2

as in discovering

to come to an awareness of

the directors have since learned that they should examine the company's financial reports a little more closely

Synonyms & Similar Words

• discovering
• realizing
• hearing
• seeing
• finding
• ascertaining
• finding out
• getting on (to)
• detecting
• catching on (to)
• getting wind of
• hitting (on or upon)
• wising (up)
• encountering
• tumbling (to)
• spotting
• perceiving
• observing
• figuring out
• calculating
• discerning
• noting
• divining
• espying
• descrying
• doping (out)
• puzzling (out)
• minding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• missing
• ignoring
• overlooking
• disregarding
• forgetting
• hiding
• covering
• concealing
• unlearning
• screening
• masking
• blotting out
• blanketing
• veiling
• cloaking
• occulting
• shrouding
• enshrouding
• curtaining

3

as in finding

to come upon after searching, study, or effort

the police were astonished when they learned the identity of the students who had vandalized the school

Synonyms & Similar Words

• finding
• discovering
• locating
• getting
• determining
• detecting
• ascertaining
• tracking (down)
• hunting (down or up)
• hitting (on or upon)
• finding out
• running down
• scouting (up)
• routing (out)
• rummaging
• dredging (up)
• digging up
• digging out
• ferreting (out)
• rooting (out)
• turning up
• descrying
• spotting
• scaring up
• nosing out
• seeking
• sighting
• looking for
• searching (for or out)
• espying

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• missing
• passing over
• overlooking
• losing
• mislaying
• misplacing
• missetting
• mis-setting

4

as in studying

to commit to memory

he learned the words to the song while performing karaoke

Synonyms & Similar Words

• studying
• memorizing
• knowing
• remembering
• understanding
• retaining
• recalling
• grasping
• conning
• getting
• thinking (of)
• accepting
• comprehending
• recollecting
• reliving
• absorbing
• digesting
• apprehending
• reminiscing (about)
• harking back (to)
• minding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unlearning
• forgetting
• ignoring
• neglecting
• disregarding
• passing over
• overlooking
• misremembering
• slurring (over)
• disremembering
• slighting
• overpassing

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun learning differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of learning are erudition, knowledge, and scholarship. While all these words mean "what is or can be known by an individual or by humankind," learning applies to knowledge acquired especially through formal, often advanced, schooling.

a book that demonstrates vast learning

Where would erudition be a reasonable alternative to learning?

The words erudition and learning are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, erudition strongly implies the acquiring of profound, recondite, or bookish learning.

an erudition unusual even in a scholar

In what contexts can knowledge take the place of learning?

The words knowledge and learning can be used in similar contexts, but knowledge applies to facts or ideas acquired by study, investigation, observation, or experience.

rich in the knowledge of human nature

When could scholarship be used to replace learning?

While the synonyms scholarship and learning are close in meaning, scholarship implies the possession of learning characteristic of the advanced scholar in a specialized field of study or investigation.

a work of first-rate literary scholarship

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of learning

Noun

For children, permanent damage to the central nervous system, learning, and developmental problems may occur. —News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025

And so that’s been one of the learnings. —Fortune Editors, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025

Verb

For William, that also means learning from past mistakes. —Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 9 Oct. 2025

Through sharp wit and deep introspection, Wood reveals the wisdom he’s gathered—from knowing when to hold your tongue to learning how to channel anger into purpose. —Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 9 Oct. 2025